Local artists to be in Mistletoe Marketplace

This year's Mistletoe Market & Sugar Plum Tearoom will be held Saturday, November 17th from 9:00 am to 4:00 pm, and Sunday, Nov. 18th from 11:00 am to 3:00 pm, in the beautiful Conference Center at North Georgia Technical College, Blairsville campus.

Eleven artists and craftsmen from Union County will be participating. Carol Moore Demme will have her large acrylic animal paintings and prints. Mark Wingertsahn will have his whimsical pottery birdhouses that fascinated everyone. Stained glass artist, Gene Harrison, will be exhibiting his window panels, wind chimes, sun catchers and sports statues. The polymer clay creations of Linda Carter will be for sale, while the fabulous handknitted bags of Candi Mancini are sure to interest the ladies. Chanel Cordell will have her ever popular local honey and crocheted items for sale. The superb scrollsaw woodcrafts and arts of Robert Snow are sure to please everyone, as will the handmade baskets & turned wood items of Maureen and Bob Wilson. Joyce Stewart brings her unusual glass block Christmas lights to this year's Market and are sure to be pleasers. The local Blairsville exhibitors round out with Marilyn Jobe and her jewelry, beads and fabric art and Linda Phelps with her rich variety of woodworks and quilted items.

Coming from Towns County will be eleven excellent craftspersons and fine artists. Tom and Susan Bartt will have their elegant gold jewelry for everyone. A fine collection of Don and Ann Cooper's wood furniture, fabric bears, pigs, angels, and towel sets will be for sale, while Glenn and Ruth Gudger will have their jewelry. Jeanne Holliston will be exhibiting her wonderful crochet hats, scarves made from handspun yarn, and Connie Krakora will be exhibiting her unique paintings and baskets. Irene Schoetker's unique fused glass pendants and dishes will be available. Finally from Hiawassee the cheese trays, spoon rests and lighted bottles of Amy Murry will delight the discerning homemaker. Marilyn Bostrom, leads the Young Harris artists in this year's Market and will have her baby quilts, wall hangings, and handbags. Vivian Heath will be exhibiting and selling her seed bead and gemstone jewelry. You will have a excellent opportunity to get alpaca related items in Larry & Cathi Dietsch's booth as they will have alpaca yarns, scarves, and toboggans. Evelyn Gantnier will have her quality jewelry.

The Clay county contingent includes Jeanette Kern with her jewelry Patricia Doninguez with her vintage fabric hand made purses, Debra Walker and her knitted items and finally Mike Wilson with his elegant custom hand made knives.

The Cherokee County residents participating in this year's Market are Claire and Howard Groff with gourds and woodburning, Jim and Kay Sanderson and their photography, birdhouses and small wood items, the wood-turned and wood crafted items of Graham and Sherry White, wonderful children's clothing by Sharon Wilson, Murphy resident Debbie Thrower and her wood items and Vivian Schell with her fabulous fabric creations.

Do your Christmas shopping before Thanksgiving this year. Wouldn't that be wonderful? Get your list ready now because the annual Mountain Regional Arts & Crafts Guild's Mistletoe Market and Sugar Plum Tearoom is almost upon us. No need to go to the big city searching for the unique gift for those special people in your life. The one-of-a-kind unique gifts that will please and delight your friends and loved ones will be available at this exciting arts & crafts show.

After shopping in the Market area, enjoy a delightful lunch in the ever-popular Sugar Plum Tearoom. Wonderful salads, sandwiches, soups, and scrumptious desserts will be offered. Then, when fully relaxed, take a final shopping tour through the Market for those "just remembered" purchases before you head home as a happy, successful, and refreshed early Christmas shopper.

The Conference Center is an excellent indoor open area for the artists and crafters to display and sell their wares, plus the wonderful adjacent cafe area is well suited for the popular Tearoom. The Market and Tearoom will be open from 9:00 am to 4:00 pm on Saturday, November 17, and from 11:00 am to 3:00 pm on Sunday, November 18, 2007.

There will be a $2.00 admission, which benefits the Mountain Regional Arts & Crafts Guild's continuing effort to develop new and promising artistic talents in the local area. A special thanks to the Towns County Tourism for their generous support.